Social Media Drives the Definition of Beauty

Social Media Drives the Definition of Beauty

Ever since we can remember, we’ve been chasing the ideal of beauty and trying to live up to the standards set by society and ourselves. Still, despite our efforts to define it once and for all, the definition of beauty has been evolving and changing ever since. In the year(s) before us, we’ll see just how much trends can influence and change our idea of beauty. Now, however social media drives the definition of beauty.

All shades of beauty

For decades now, people have been voicing their dissatisfaction with the fact that makeup isn’t ‘inclusive’ – that the number of available shades of foundations, concealers, and highlighters was rather low and dark-skinned girls always had trouble finding the right shade for themselves.

Bend the gender

Things are changing rapidly, and another trend that’s changing the face of beauty at the very moment is the male grooming trend. Gone are the days when it was considered strange for a man to use anything other than a razor and a deodorant to look good. Today, a lot of men choose to wear their hair and beard long, which means that they’re going to use more products to keep them neat and healthy. Barbershops have become places where men spend a lot of time, getting massages and having their hair trimmed and beards oiled, and men, in general, began using more cosmetics than ever before.

Social media filters

Even though it might sound like science fiction, it seems that all those pretty filters we use on Instagram and Snapchat have indeed contributed to the boom of cosmetic surgery. Dog ears and tongue aside, a variety of filters that allow us to see ourselves with bigger eyes, fuller lips, and clearer skin have made us braver in reaching for cosmetic surgery to get our dream look. A clinic for cosmetic surgery in Perth has a list of the most frequently asked questions on their website, and people have been more open about their wishes than ever before. Bigger eyes and big, pouty lips can be seen everywhere, encouraging a great number of girls to book their own procedures.

Lashes on fleek

It’s high time eyebrows stepped down and let eyelashes take the spotlight for a change. Instead of eyebrows that look like they took you two hours to draw in, now it’s all about beautiful eyelashes. Even though false lashes are very easy to apply, they’re also a pain to take off every evening and clean, not to mention that you have to be extra careful and check to see if they’re sticking to your lid. Eyelash extensions have taken the world by storm, it seems, and for good reason: once you get them, you don’t have to worry about them for weeks. In addition to luxurious lash extensions, you can also expect to see more lash-lifts and magnetic falsies.

Going clean

Over the past few years, we have witnessed the rise of ‘natural’ looks: minimal makeup, nude lips, a touch of highlighter and blush, and well-shaped brows. However, it looks like we’ll be focusing more on the types of products we use than on the way of applying them. It seems that people have become more aware that the quality of products directly affects them, and the focus is on ‘clean’ products more than ever before. Not only are people looking to buy and use cruelty-free cosmetics, but ‘mineral’, ‘natural’, ‘vegan’, ‘clean’, and ‘organic’ products are very popular. We are not just talking about cosmetics, but about food, makeup brushes, and clothes we wear as well.

Beauty is and always has been elusive, and trying to blindly follow the trends will only result in disappointment in the close future. Everyone should remember that beauty is much more than what meets the eye. What we consider beautiful today will probably be considered odd and boring in several decades, and it only goes to illustrate that nothing is set in stone.